Castle Rock Violation of a Protection Order Attorney

Woman Charged with VPO and Stalking after Sending 696 Text Messages

Contacting someone, even through a third party, when there is an active protection order or restraining order in place is charged as Violation of a Protection Order in Castle Rock and Douglas County. A woman was charged with this crime, along with Stalking, after texting a man 696 times, calling him 10 times and going to his house 3 times while an active protection order was in place. Protection orders are automatically entered in any criminal case, whereas a civil restraining order must be specifically requested. Most commonly, we see Violation of Protection Order cases where the underlying protection order was entered in a domestic violence case. Remember, DV is a sentenced enhancer that can be attached to any underlying crime. So, a woman could be facing a Criminal Mischief Domestic Violence charge for breaking her boyfriend’s phone and a protection order would be entered barring her from having contact with her boyfriend. If she did contact him, she could pick up a new case of Violation of a Protection Order.

Douglas County Violation of a Protection Order Lawyer: Definition of Violation of a Protection Order

The Douglas County, Colorado law definition of Violation of a Protection Order – C.R.S. 18-6-803.5(1)(a) – is:

“

(1) A person commits the crime of violation of a protection order if, after the person has been personally served with a protection order that identifies the person as a restrained person or otherwise has acquired from the court or law enforcement personnel actual knowledge of the contents of a protection order that identifies the person as a restrained person, the person:

(a) Contacts, harasses, injures, intimidates, molests, threatens, or touches the protected person or protected property, including an animal, identified in the protection order or enters or remains on premises or comes within a specified distance of the protected person, protected property, including an animal, or premises or violates any other provision of the protection order to protect the protected person from imminent danger to life or health, and such conduct is prohibited by the protection order”

Most often, these charges arise from contacting a protected party – even if the contact isn’t negative or unwanted. Though, it doesn’t seem like it was wanted contact in case above.